Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to an aircraft rotor blade, as well as a method of making a rotor blade.
Description of Related Art
Conventional aircraft rotor blades have been manufactured using a time-consuming, multi-step process involving the fabrication of several detail parts that are separately assembled to form the full rotor blade structure. Rotor blades have specific structural and dynamic requirements, which historically has driven manufacturers to separate rotor blade design and manufacture into several detail parts and sub-assemblies. Historically in the aerospace industry, the design and manufacture of multiple detail parts and sub-assemblies provides more control over the process and ensures that the assembled rotor blade meets stringent operational requirements. Oftentimes a designated set of expensive tools in a particular location is needed to manufacture each individual blade component, which can require thousands of feet in shop floor space. With the existing methods of manufacture, it is extremely difficult to produce an entire blade in a few steps due to the variation in movement and physical and chemical changes exhibited by the different polymeric and metallic materials when exposed to changes in pressure and temperature.
For example, a conventional composite rotor blade includes a spar member that is configured to provide primary structural integrity to the rotor blade. The spar member is typically required to react to dynamic operational loads, such as aerodynamic, inertial, and centrifugal loads. The spar member is only part of the rotor blade body, thus considerable effort must be made to integrate structural load paths between the spar member and the rest of the rotor blade body and skins. A spar member must typically be separately cured prior to assembly with the other rotor blade members, which can increase manufacturing costs.
There is a need to improve structural efficiency in a rotor blade, as well as decrease expenses associated with the manufacturing of a rotor blade.